Article

Back to basics for Kosmina

24 December 2012 06:29

Adelaide United coach John Kosmina has refused to dwell on his side's 6-1 defeat to the Western Sydney Wanderers on Friday.

The result was the Reds' heaviest defeat of the season and came as a shock to the second-placed side but Kosmina insisted his men must quickly forget about their performance as attention turns to United's upcoming home match against the Brisbane Roar at Hindmarsh Stadium on Boxing Day.

"There's not much you can do after an outcome like we got last Friday night," he said after an intense training session on Monday.

"We talked a little bit before training about maybe the whys and wherefores, we didn't even look at the video because sometimes you just get those games where nothing you do turns out right.

"I think partly it was our fault and they had a lot of good bounces of the ball as well so we put it behind us and get on with it because we haven’t got time to dwell on it."

Kosmina was pleased with the players' efforts at training field, believing it was the best way for his side to put the result behind them.

"It started off a little bit quiet out the back but they eventually got into it and it finished quite well I thought and competitively," he said.

"You would expect that the players would want to get all the bad blood out of the system and the best way to do it is on the training paddock so you create an environment where they can do that. I mean if I have to tell them to do that then I think we've got a problem to begin with."

The Adelaide coach refused to give too much away when asked whether he would ring the changes for the Brisbane game, saying that a final decision would be made on Christmas Day at the squad's final training session.

"I've tossed up a couple of different ideas and bounced it around with the rest of the coaching staff but we will make a final decision tomorrow," Kosmina said.

"You've got to think carefully about it because you can take the doom and gloom aspect of it and then start making too many changes.

"You make too many changes, we haven’t had much time to practice anything either so do you keep the changes down and say 'Well look here's another crack at it but it might be your last one'.

Kosmina was also keen to deflect attention away from Brisbane who have endured their own problems this season, saying while the reigning champions are a 'good side out of luck' he is only concentrating on his own players' ability to respond to their recent thrashing.

"Well look it's not so much about Brisbane, it's about us. We need to get back from that result on Friday. If we can get a good, positive outcome here Wednesday then Friday doesn’t matter that much anymore does it?" he said.

"When you've dug a hole for yourself it takes a little while to fill it back up again and I think they (Brisbane) are in that process at the moment but we've just got to make sure they don’t get too much filling on Wednesday.

The former Socceroo also weighed in on the recent ruling by the FFA to ban a fan accused of racially vilifying Wellington Phoenix star Paul Ifill at Hindmarsh Stadium last weekend.

Kosmina commended the governing body for taking appropriate action by barring the guilty party from attending games for two years and cancelling his club membership.

"I think it had to be dealt with quickly and harshly and they've got to the bottom of it and the person concerned is not going to come to the stadium for a couple of years because whatever was said was unacceptable," he said.

"That's how it should be."

Article

Popovic calls for focus

20 December 2012 04:11

Western Sydney Wanderers coach Tony Popovic says his side have to come down from the high of their derby win last weekend.

The Wanderers have surged up to fourth on the A-League ladder on the back of two straight wins ahead of their clash with in-form Adelaide at Parramatta Stadium on Friday.

While the competition new-boys have impressed many with their strong from so far this season, they have only beaten one side (Perth) that are currently in the top six.

It is why Popovic is refusing to get carried away with the hype surrounding his side, well aware how quickly things can change especially if they underperform against the high-flying Reds.

"I've really had to make sure the players are focused and bring them down to earth a little bit this week," Popovic told reporters on Thursday.

"While it was a derby win it's done and dusted now ... we've got to move on to the next challenge.

"Kossie's (Reds coach John Kosmina) got a very good team there and they seem to be growing in confidence and they seem to be scoring at will at the moment.

"We know it will be tough but it's always nice to come up against a side that's in a good vein of form.

"But we've got a group of players that are looking forward to that challenge ... they are focused and hungry and it will be a great test for us."

Adelaide won the previous encounter between the two sides 1-0 at Hindmarsh Stadium back in round two and come into this clash on the back of four wins from their last five games.

But Wanderers skipper Michael Beauchamp is confident his side would be a much tougher proposition for the free-scoring Reds this time around.

"We're a lot more together and we know each other a lot better now," Beauchamp said.

"The last few games we've played really well and this is another stepping stone for us.

"We want to go out there against another top team and show what we can do ... it's a good opportunity to get in there and see where we're at."

Asked the key to beating the Reds and keeping the likes of Marcelo Carrusca, Fabio Ferreira and Dario Vidosic quiet, Beauchamp said: "It's definitely not going to be easy.

"We just need to keep the defence tight and when we push forward try and be clinical and hit the back of the net.

"We're starting to create a lot more chances. We're one of the teams that has created the most chances and had the most shots on goal and once they start hitting the back of the net it's a chance for us to start winning games two or three nil."

Popovic is yet to decide whether he will stick with the same side that has won the last two matches against Brisbane and Sydney or whether to bring Socceroos midfielder Aaron Mooy into his starting line-up.